Tribal MLAs stall proceedings in Orissa Assembly

Bhubaneswar, Mar 18 (UNI) Cutting across party lines, the Tribal MLAs today stalled the proceedings in the Orissa Assembly and forced the Deputy Speaker to adjourn the House for 15 minutes protesting against the remark of a ruling BJD member.

The trouble started when BJD MLA Bishnu Das while participating a calling attention motion, demanded that the Scheduled Caste Homoeopath doctors be appointed against the vacancy of the Scheduled Tribe doctors.

This irked the tribal MLAs present in the House who took strong exception to the statement of Mr Das. They then rushed into the well and shouted slogan demanding that the tribal Homoeopath doctors be recruited against the vacancy.

As the situation went out of control, Congress Member Nalini Kanta Mohanty urged the Deputy Speaker to adjourn the house. Deputy Speaker Prahallad Dora then adjourned the house for 15 minutes.

When the House reassembled after the adjournment, BJD member Bishnu Das, sensing the mood of the House, stood up and expressed his regret over his statement to pacify the situation.

State Health Minister Bijayashree Routray, who was replying to the calling attention motion, also clarified that the posts for Homoeopath doctors reserved for the Scheduled tribe candidates would be given to the tribal candidates.

He further said the government had asked the Staff Selection Board to initiate a special recruitment drive to fill up the such post for the scheduled tribe.

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